‘We are all innovators, one just needs to think creatively’
“Let us all inspire albinos to also apply for the jobs which we do for example in Parliamentary Service and other companies by stressing the need and possibility in our job advertisements,” Speaker of Parliament in Uganda, Rt. Hon. Rebecca Kadaga said.
The Speaker made this comment at the launch of the Parliament week activities guided by the theme, “Engaging the public in a people-centered Parliament”. She was speaking immediately after a Charity walk directed towards creating awareness in the need to support and establish a center for albinos in Uganda. The walk was on Sunday February 5th , 2017 starting and ending at the Parliament of Uganda through a 5 km distance within Kampala town.
The Parliament Week was inaugurated with a Fundraising Walk flagged off and led by the Speaker of Parliament aiming at raising funds for the construction of a one-stop community Centre for the albino community in Uganda. Parliamentarians were joined by other companies, institutions and government departments including; Office of the Prime Minister, Bank of Uganda, Barclays Bank, Inspectorate of Government, Rotary Club of Kampala Central, New Vision, NBS Broadcasting Media House , Daily Monitor and Makerere University College of Health Sciences School of Public Health-ResilientAfrica Network among others.
Albinos from different parts of the country joined in the walk under the leadership of Ms. Olive Namutebi, Chair of the Africa Albino Foundation in Uganda. She voiced her own and the general Albino community appreciation to the Parliament of Uganda and the public who took up the noble cause. She also requested the public to be more accommodative and caring to albinos noting that ‘We too are human beings like you, it is just that we lack some black pigmentation but we are human and do not have any magic whatsoever’ Olive added.
On Monday February 6th , 2017, the actual Parliament Week activities started with a prayer session culminating into the official opening of the exhibition. Rt. Hon. Kadaga led a team of parliamentarians, development partners, other government officials, agriculturalists, engineers, religious leaders, investors among others through each of the exhibition stall. The stalls included 16 departments of Parliament exhibiting what they do, the Makerere University School of Public Health ResilientAfrica Network (RAN) showcasing 16 Innovative solutions at work, AfriPads with washable sanitary towels, Daughters of St. Paul selling inspiring and informative Christian books, housing Finance Bank bringing banking services closer to the people and the Nile Basin project.
The Innovative solutions exhibited by RAN are on the images below
Rt. Hon Kadaga was impressed about the amount of knowledge with the higher institutions of learning especially Makerere University where most of the innovators study or had studied. She keenly went through the RAN exhibition listening to each presentation and acknowledging the efforts. ‘I am interested in that Fruiti-Cycle to help me transport my produce from the gardens to the market when still as fresh as immediately after the harvest’ she noted. The Speaker was accompanied by Prof. William Bazeyo, Dean Makerere University School of Public Health and RAN Chief of Party/ Lab Director. He shared with the Speaker and other members of Parliament and the members of the public in attendance (who he interacted with) the need for all of us to embrace creative thinking in order to support innovation for development. ‘Most of these innovative solutions are ready to hit the market and we will register transformative impact in the target communities within and beyond Africa’ Prof. Bazeyo shared. RAN is open to closely working with the Government of Uganda and in particular through the Parliament of Uganda to launch game changing innovations as solutions to African communities’ most pressing challenges in Uganda, Africa and beyond. In case you missed out on this exhibition, please visit www.ranlab.org for details about RAN and the Innovative Solutions under incubation. The RAN Officer premises are located on Plot 30, Upper Kololo Terrace Kampala Uganda for a physical site tour, hands on session on prototyping innovations and engagement with the innovators, prototypes and multidisciplinary experts among others.
